Twenty people who worked in the Chester Community Charter School have been charged with multiple counts related to child abuse.
The charges, announced Monday by Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer, involve 26 children in grades K-5 who were enrolled in the school’s Team Approach to Achieving Academic Success (TAAS) program.
The charges follow a police investigation initiated after two parents complained to school officials in January, stating their children reported being afraid to attend school due to fears of being placed in “holds” by school staff.
“This case is every parent’s nightmare. We send our children to school expecting the adults will keep them safe, not abuse them physically and emotionally,” said Stollsteimer. “Our investigation showed some staffers physically abusing children while others sat passively and watched. All the adults charged are equally guilty in failing to protect these children, some as young as 5 years old.”
An investigation by Chester Township police revealed nine of the charged defendants used techniques to restrain and punish children enrolled in the school’s positive emotional support program. According to the investigation, the defendants used painful techniques such as pinching students on pressure points near their necks, holding them in restraints, and threatening them with what the students called “shoulder work.” That involved placing them in holds with their arms crossed in front of them, and having a knee applied to their back until the student was brought to the ground.
Many of the abuses were captured on surveillance camera footage obtained and reviewed by investigators, according to the affidavit of probable cause.
During the investigation, detectives learned several of the individuals who allegedly abused these children were employees of Peak Performers Staffing, LLC, a Chester company co-founded by Jennifer Woodhouse and Emmanuel Gilbert.
Woodhouse reportedly assured investigators that Peak Performers staff were trained in appropriate Safety-Care techniques. However, when investigators requested records documenting staff training in utilizing restraints and/or crisis prevention techniques, they discovered that not one of the Peak Performers staff members had the up-to-date required training.
Investigators also learned from the school building’s principal that any use of a “safety hold” must be reported under state guidelines. The principal confirmed to investigators that the school reported no safety holds for 2024, despite many of the abuses having occurred during that time.
Peak Performers Staffing officials did not respond to a request for comment on Monday.
The 20 individuals charged under this investigation are:
- Raymond Harris;
- Kabree Daniels;
- Christian Denny;
- Martin Mincey, Jr.;
- Harry Woodhouse, Jr;
- Amaru Mohammed;
- Leroy Campbell;
- Adrian Hospedale;
- Monica Griffin;
- Daemon Pierce;
- Don’Neisah King Pierce;
- Arijah Clements;
- Cyrus Barlee;
- Neanne Edmonds;
- Breshonna Belgrave;
- Deja Bennett-Allen;
- Ryan Ridley;
- Maggie Moloney;
- Dahkeem Williams;
- Asia Pena
Nine defendants — Harris, Daniels, Denny, Mincey, Woodhouse, Mohammad, Campbell, Hospedale, and Griffin — face charges including conspiracy, simple assault, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, endangering the welfare of a child, and failure to report endangering the welfare of a child, officials said.
Eleven defendants —Pierce, King-Pierce, Clements, Barlee, Edmonds, Belgrave, Bennett-Allen, Ridley, Moloney, Williams, and Pena — are all charged with one or more counts of failure to report and endangering the welfare of a child.
All of the defendants are classified as mandated reporters of incidents of suspected child abuse under Pennsylvania Law.
“I want to commend Chester Township Detective Patrick Mullen and Patrolman Michael J. Strofe, as well as Deputy District Attorney Kristen Kemp, for their work in leading this investigation,” said Chester Township Police Chief Kenneth Coalson. “Our investigation revealed a toxic and abusive relationship existed inside Chester Community Charter School for children enrolled in the emotional support program. I am proud that today we are holding the support staff, teachers, and even a dean of students accountable for abusing or failing to report the abuse of vulnerable children.”
In a letter to parents, Chester Community Charter School CEO David Clark Jr. said the school took “swift and decisive action” when it learned of staffers who violated “approved methods,” and that parents were “promptly notified.”
“CCCS employees who are alleged to have carried out such practices were also promptly terminated at that time, and any employees who might have known about the situation were placed on leave, pending further investigation,” Clark wrote.
The district attorney’s office noted these are allegations and that all the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
